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Review: Duchess (Daughter of Fortune Book 3) by Susan May Warren

April 29, 2013

About the Book

When her country needs her, will she have the courage to surrender her glittering world and her one true love?

The golden age of Hollywood is in the business of creating stars. Rosie Worth, now starlet Roxy Price, has found everything she’s wanted in the glamour of the silver screen. With adoring fans and a studio-mogul husband, she’s finally silenced the voices—and grief—of the past. Her future shines bright…until the fated Black Friday when it all comes crashing down. When Roxy loses everything, she finds herself disgraced and penniless. Her only hope is to join forces with Belgian duke Rolfe Van Horne, a longtime film investor. But Rolfe is not who he seems, and he has other plans for Roxy and her movies—plans to support a growing unrest in Europe, plans that could break her heart and endanger her life. Find out more about the series by clicking on these links.

Rosie Worth is no more. She has thrown off the emotional shackles keeping her hostage to a past of brokenness and sacrifice in favour of seeing her name in lights on a marquee. This is the life she thought she longed for and was destined to fulfill…so what is this aching emptiness that plagues her soul in the stillness? At the pinnacle of a promising career, Rosie, now Roxy, loses her foothold with the resounding and devastating crash of Wall Street. The damage to her career and personal life is irrevocable and she is thrown at the mercy of man who has, unbeknownst to Rosie, been shadowing her past bidding his time to claim her heart. Rolfe is the most intriguing and alluring male lead of this series and if ever a fictional character could make a girl swoon, Rolfe would be up for the job.

A master of historical ambience and accuracy, Susan draws readers deep in to the setting with her deft articulation. But for all the glory of the era-romanticism surrounding Hollywood’s Golden Age and heroism of World War II-it is the emotional breadth of Rosie’s self-actualization and restoration that shines the brightest. Even her most self-indulgent and selfish moments, the broken woman within cries out to readers for empathy of which is impossible to deny her. I championed her through to the end hoping that she would finally seize hold of the joy she so desperately sought and find the peace that God so willingly has to offer.

Delightfully unpredictable and complex, Duchess is an infinitely satisfying read. I am distraught (borrowing from the melodrama of Hollywood’s starlets) that this series has reached a conclusion. The Daughters of Fortune is one (if not the) finest series that Susan May Warren has written, of course not to minimize the excellence of her other stories. A highly recommended read, although I do suggest reading Heiress and Baroness first for contextual clarity.

EXCELLENT review again, Lydia. Like you, I am also distraught over this series ending. The only issue I took with ‘Duchess’ was how quickly time passes. It seemed a flaw in the pacing. Otherwise, you are so right! This novel is stupendous and possibly one of Susan’s VERY best. 🙂

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